Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Spinal cord decompression after thoracolumbar surgery in 51 dogs
By Flegel, Thomas et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2011·Department of Small Animal Medicine, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Partial lateral corpectomy of the thoracolumbar spine in 51 dogs: assessment of slot morphometry and spinal cord decompression.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 51 dogs with spinal cord compression due to intervertebral disc disease underwent a surgical procedure called partial lateral corpectomy (PLC) to relieve pressure on the spine. After the surgery, 90% of the dogs showed satisfactory decompression of the spinal cord, with most achieving either complete or good results. The surgery was more successful in the lumbar (lower back) region compared to the thoracic (mid-back) region. The findings suggest that a deeper surgical slot may help improve outcomes for dogs undergoing this procedure.
People also search for: dog back surgery recovery · intervertebral disc disease treatment in dogs · spinal cord compression in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To report slot morphometry, degree of spinal decompression, and factors influencing decompression after partial lateral corpectomy (PLC) of the thoracolumbar spine in dogs with intervertebral disc disease. STUDY DESIGN: Case series. ANIMALS: Dogs (n=51) with predominantly ventrally located spinal cord compression. METHODS: PLC (n=60) were performed. Spinal cord compression was determined by computed tomographic (CT) myelography (n=46), myelography (n=2) or magnetic resonance imaging (n=3). Postsurgical CT images were used to evaluate slot dimensions and orientation, and spinal cord decompression. The influence of age, body weight, breed, breed type (chondrodystrophic, nonchondrodystrophic), disc location, lateralization and mineralization, presurgical compression, slot morphometry, and surgeon on degree of decompression were evaluated. RESULTS: Mean slot depth was 64.1% of vertebral body width; mean height, 43.0% of vertebral body height; mean cranial extension, 29.5%; median caudal extension, 22.0% vertebral body length; mean angulation from horizontal, 6.3°. Decompression was satisfactory in 90% of sites after PLC (58% complete, 32% good). None of the analyzed factors significantly influenced decompression. All lumbar spine PLC resulted in complete or good decompression compared with 83% after thoracic PLC (P=.052). Deeper slots tended to allow more complete decompression (P=.058). CONCLUSIONS: Thoracolumbar PLC results in satisfactory decompression in most cases with a better outcome in the lumbar spine than the thoracic spine. Achieving a slot depth equal to 2/3 of vertebral body width might facilitate complete decompression.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21077918/